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Here goes my track-by-track review of OneRepublic’s sophomore album Waking Up released November 17th.

01. Made For You – Quite a strange album opener. I would have expected them to open with All The Right Moves although this song features some lyrics from All The Right Moves making this song seem like just an intro. Normally intros aren’t full songs so it’s hard to tell whether this is meant as full song or not. The chorus is quite good but it’s a typical Ryan Tedder track in that he repeats the phrase “made for you” over and over for the whole chorus. It’s a bit tired now. The children’s choir at the end is a bit random and out of place too. It should have just ended before it got to the choir.

02. All The Right Moves – I was really surprised when I heard this for the first time because I don’t think it’s “lead single material” at all. It’s a good album track though. The verses are a bit weak but the chorus is a lot stronger and will stick in your head for hours after listening to it.

03. Secrets – This should have been the lead single, although it was in some territories. It’s a progression from the Apologize sound. It’s also a typical Ryan Tedder ballad echoing not only Apologize but songs like Bleeding Love, Halo, Already Gone and Battlefield.

04. Everybody Loves Me – Really different sound for OneRepublic. It’s quite upbeat. The lyrics are very cocky and quite funny. There’s not much to it and it lacks melody in the verses but I like it.

05. Missing Persons 1 & 2 – One of the best songs of them album until it gets to missing person 2. Had it stopped at or continued missing person 1, it could have been an even better song. The second half just doesn’t do the first half justice. It’s very Coldplay but in a good way.

06. Good Life – Before I listened to the album I was hoping there was a song as good as All We Are on this album and this is it. Good Life is the best thing OneRepublic have ever done in my opinion. Lyrically it’s very different for them because it’s such a positive song. While the chorus is quite repetitive, it has such a strong, addictive melody that’s begging for a single release. I think that if this is released as a single, it could be quite huge. Highlight of the album.

07. All This Time – Another OneRepublic ballad. It’s this album’s Come Home. It’s a nice song but nothing brilliant.

08. Fear – After Good Life, this is probably the second best song on the album. It’s a different sound for OneRepublic again. It’s quite repetitive and while the Ryan Tedder repetition can sound tired, it works well for some songs such as this and Good Life.

09. Waking Up – The title track of the album. It’s quite uptempo and anthemic. It’s one of those songs that you won’t think much of as an album track but when you hear it live, it will make sense.

10. Marchin On – Ryan Tedder seems to like his war songs a la Battlefield, Come Home and now this. Again it’s quite different for OneRepublic but not different from what Ryan has been doing for other artists in the last couple of years. Edit: On hearing the Timbaland remix, I’ve decided it’s a pretty good song (despite Timbaland’s parts seeming random and irrelevant for the first few plays). Hopefully the Timbaland remix sees a single release.

11. Lullaby – Quite a boring album closer. Like the title, it could put you to sleep. It’s very quiet and I usually stop playing the album before this song starts.

Overall it’s quite a good second effort from OneRepublic. I was really surprised that it wasn’t Apologize x11 (the easy route) for the whole album which is why I pointed out when a song was a different sound for OneRepublic. The album sounds less OneRepublic and more similar to the material Ryan Tedder has been making with other artists which isn’t a bad thing as Dreaming Out Loud was quite a boring album at times because there was very little variation in sound. It lacks a few more tracks but overall it’s a pretty good album.

According to an article written for The Mirror today, Rachel Stevens was quoted saying that she will be returning to the studio next year.

I caught up with the lovely Rachel Stevens at Take That’sPlayStation 3 SingStar game launch, and she revealed she’s ready to get back to her one true love.

Rachel told me: “I love music – that’s my main passion in life so I’m going to head back into the studio and start working on new music next year. I’ve had a nice break from recording and I’m ready to get back to what I truly love doing.”

It was just a shame that while I nattered to Rachel, London’s notoriously worst-dressed party person and cling-on to the stars, Fran Cutler, decided to throw me out of the VIP area midconversation.

The music video for Cheryl Cole’s upcoming single 3 Words featuring Will.I.Am premiered earlier today. The video is very different to Cheryl’s debut Fight For This Love as this time it’s not Cheryl dancing in front of a green screen. The video is edited into a split screen effect showing Cheryl and Will on each side of the screen making it look like Cheryl and Will didn’t film the video together.

The video doesn’t really go anywhere although many would argue that the song doesn’t either. Overall I don’t like it yet but maybe after watching it a few more views I might change my mind.